Structure for making fences, grates, guardrails and other similar carpentry products

ABSTRACT

There is provided a structure for making fences, grates, guardrails, and other similar carpentry products including a plurality of stakes (10) which retain and support an upper crossbar (20) and a lower crossbar (21) by mobile connections (30, 31). Each of the stakes (10) includes an elongated central body (11) and portions of reduced length (12, 13) projecting above and below upper crossbar (20) and lower crossbar (21), respectively. The connection of an upper reduced length portion (12) and a lower reduced length portion (13) to central body (11) being formed by mobile screw connections (30, 31) of the threaded shank/threaded hole type locking each of the crossbars (20, 21) to a stake (10). The screwing action being facilitated by an appendage (40) projecting from and frangibly connected to the portions of reduced length (12, 13) adapted to break and be completely removed from the portions of reduced length when the maximum tightening torque is achieved.

The present finding regards a structure for making fences, grates, guardrails and other similar carpentry products, according to the general part of claim 1.

Metal fences, grates, guardrails and other similar carpentry products, in particular employed in residential building, are substantially made of a plurality of vertical elements, so-called stakes, which retain and support the horizontal elements, so-called crossbars.

Normally, such structures are made by welding the stakes to the crossbars, in order to obtain vertical panels that are fixed at the two ends to metal columns, so-called columns, or on masonry pillars.

Alternatively, so-called modular structures are widely used, in which the stakes and the crossbars are mutually retained by means of a mobile connection, such as bolts.

By way of example, patent document No. US2005236611 A1 is mentioned, in which the stakes (ref. 9) are fixed to the crossbars (ref. 5) by means of bolts (ref. 8) inserted in the passage holes made on the stakes and on the crossbars.

The drawback of the aforementioned modular structures is constituted by the fact that the use of the mobile screw connections, if on one hand it facilitates the mounting—much quicker with respect to welding—on the other hand it allows ill-intentioned individuals to just-as-quickly disassemble said structures.

Such unlawful theft operations have intensified, especially in recent times, with the introduction of modular structures made of stainless steel, which, in addition to ensuring a total resistance to weathering agents, also allow obtaining structural solutions of considerable aesthetic effect.

At the current state of the art, the most widespread antitheft system for modular structures is that which provides for the use of bolts, where the nut is provided with a head which—as described and illustrated (in particular in FIG. 7) also in the aforementioned patent document—is automatically removed at the end of the screwing.

In practice, this solution, even if it transforms the bolt into a rivet, does not resolve the problem, since it does not prevent an ill-intentioned individual from carrying out a theft operation, even if this is more complicated with respect to simple unscrewing.

As documents of the state of the art, the following are mentioned: US 2011/073823 A1, which is the most important document of the state of the art, as well as DE 10239983 A1, EP 1512812 A1, US 2014/306171 A1 and EP 2053183 A2.

In particular, the document US 2011/073823 provides for (the reference numbers between the parentheses are attributed to this document) a structure for making fences (10) (FIG. 1; para [0040]), grates, guardrails and other similar carpentry products, of the type which comprises a plurality of stakes (16) (FIG. 1; para [0044 and 0047]); which retain and support the crossbars (18, 20) (FIG. 1; par [0040]); the upper crossbar (18) and lower crossbar (20), by means of mobile connections; in said structure (10), each of the stakes (16) comprises a central elongated body (42) (FIG. 1; para [0044]) and portions of reduced length (44, 60) (FIG. 1; para [0044 and 0047]) which respectively project above the upper crossbar (18) and below the lower crossbar (20); the connection of said two reduced portions (44) to the aforementioned elongated body (42) being made by means of mobile screw connections (52, 54) (FIG. 3a, 3b; para [0046]), of threaded shank/threaded hole type, which lock the two crossbars (18, 20) and wherein the screwing action occurs by means of the use of an appendage (75, 76) (FIG. 1; para [0049]), projecting from the two reduced portions (44) (FIG. 1; note: two reduced upper portions), it being provided that said appendage (75, 76), when the maximum tightening torque has been attained following the completed and forced screwing, is completely and automatically removed from the support portion (44).

Object of the present finding is to provide for both structural and functional improvements of the device described in such document.

According to the finding, this is obtained with the structural arrangement described in claim 1.

Further embodiments of the finding are present in the dependent claims.

The finding will be better defined by means of the description of a possible embodiment thereof, given only as a non-limiting example, with the aid of the enclosed drawing tables wherein:

FIG. 1 (table I) represents a view of a fence pursuant to the finding;

FIGS. 2, 3 represent a section view of a mobile connection zone of the stake on the crossbar:

FIG. 4 represents a section view of the mobile connection zone of the fence on the column;

FIGS. 5, 6, 7 (table II) represent the steps for the mobile connection pursuant to the finding.

As is visible in the figures, the modular fence, indicated overall with reference number 100, comprises a plurality of stakes 10, which retain and support the two crossbars, the upper 20 and lower 21 crossbars, by means of mobile connections, and it is characterized in that the stake 10 comprises a central elongated body 11 and two portions of reduced length 12 and 13 which respectively project above the upper crossbar 20 and below the lower crossbar 21; the connection of said two reduced portions 12 and 13 to the aforementioned elongated body 11 is attained by means of two screw connections, respectively 30 and 31, of threaded shank/threaded hole type, which trap and lock the two corresponding crossbars 20 and 21 between the two stake parts, respectively 11 with 12 and 11 with 13. The screwing action occurs by using an appendage 40, projecting from the two reduced portions 11 and 12; when the maximum tightening torque has been attained, following completed and forced screwing, such appendage 40 is completely and automatically removed from the support portion 12 and 13.

As is visible, in particular, in FIGS. 5-7, in operation one positions the elongated body 11 of the stake in abutment on the crossbar 20 and 21, in a manner such that the through hole 22 present on said crossbars is coaxial with the threaded hole or the threaded shank present on the head of the aforementioned elongated body 11; then, one screws the reduced portion of the stake 12 and 13 on the threaded connection, by acting on the appendage 40, which is connected to the support portion 11 or 12 by means of a portion 41 with greatly reduced cross-section. At the end of the action of locking the crossbar 20 and 21, which is trapped between the two stake parts 11 and 12 or 11 and 13, there is the consequent automatic removal via breakage of the entire appendage 40 from the support portions 12 or 13.

Analogously, also the connection of the crossbars 30 and 31 to the column 50, by means of the angle section 51, occurs by means of a mobile screw connection 32, equivalent to those described above, which are provided with appendage that is automatically removed upon completed screwing.

The finding can have many different shapes, sizes and technical details, so long as these all fall within the inventive concept defined by the following claims. 

1-4. (canceled) 5: A structure for making fences, grates, guardrails and other similar carpentry products, of the type including a plurality of stakes (10) retaining and supporting an upper crossbar (20) and a lower crossbar (21) by mobile connections, wherein each stake (10) includes an elongated central body (11), a first reduced length portion (12) projecting above said upper crossbar (20), a second reduced length portion (13) projecting below said lower crossbar (21), a first mobile screw connection (30) having a threaded shank/threaded hole (15, 16) structure fastening said upper crossbar (20) to said each stake (10), and a second mobile screw connection (31) having a threaded shank/threaded hole (15,16) structure fastening said lower crossbar (21) to said each stake (10), wherein a first appendage (40) projects from said first reduced length portion (12) and a second appendage (40) projects from said second reduced length portion (13), said first and second appendages being respectively connected by a frangible connection to said first and second reduced length portions so that upon complete and forced screwing and under maximum torque said first and second appendages break from said first and second reduced length portions, wherein the frangible connection of said first and second appendages (40) to said first and second reduced length portions (12, 13) comprises a greatly reduced cross-sectional portion (41). 6: The structure as defined in claim 5, wherein each of said upper crossbar (20) and lower crossbar (21) includes a through hole (22) coaxially aligned with a threaded shank/threaded hole (15, 16) of the first and second mobile screw connections (30, 31) of said each stake (10). 7: The structure as defined in claim 5, wherein said first mobile screw connection (30) fastens said upper crossbar (20) between said elongated central body (11) of said each stake (10) and said first reduced length portion (12), and said second mobile screw connection (31) fastens said lower crossbar (21) between said elongated central body (11) of said each stake (10) and said second reduced length portion (13). 8: The structure as defined in claim 5, which further includes a column (50) supporting said upper crossbar (20) and said lower crossbar (21) fastened to said each stake (10), wherein said upper crossbar (20) and lower crossbar (21) are each connected to said column (50) by an angle section (51) including a third mobile screw connection (32) having a threaded bolt (32′) provided with a third appendage (40′) projecting from said threaded bolt (32′) and connected thereto by a frangible connection so that upon complete and forced screwing and under maximum torque said third appendage (40′) breaks from said threaded bolt (32′) of said third mobile screw connection (32) wherein said frangible connection of said third appendage (40′) to said threaded bolt (32′) comprises a greatly reduced cross-sectional portion (41′). 